State Senator Jessica Ramos on BSA decision to allow target

“I am incredibly disappointed and outraged by the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals’ decision this morning to allow the proposed Target at 40-31 82nd Street to move forward. This decision sets a dangerous precedent, paving the way for unregulated underground variety stores to be built in residential neighborhoods throughout the city, putting the safety of our communities and infrastructure at risk.

I represent a vast area north of the proposed site, a district with no hospital that depends on the two one-way streets surrounding the proposed Target site as thoroughfares for ambulances to reach Elmhurst Hospital just a block away. Our ambulance response times, especially in East Elmhurst, are dangerously and sometimes fatally long. Traffic that will come along with Target as a tenant will exacerbate our healthcare access.

Space in our growing community is limited. We are in need of dire services and infrastructure that would benefit from the location of this site. The BSA’s decision today is a vote with real estate and a vote against our community. I am joining Queens Neighborhood United in appealing to the New York State Supreme Court, and we will keep fighting to amplify the voices of our neighbors above corporations.”

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